This will be my third year with my little patch. My first year was very successful but this last year was a complete disaster. I think the reason was that I had better prepared the soil the first year, had a really good water timer (witch blew up when it froze - I'm not used to winters :/), and fertilizers I used. This past year I tried to skimp a little, seeing how the first year was so productive. I had some other stuff working against me, too. I had some kind of root rot or disease along with bugs which annihilated my entire crop. Then when I got everything sorted out the season was so well gone that nothing really turned out at all. It was a bad layout, too, and I planted some vegetables at the wrong time. Wow... this year I have my head a little bit more in the game and know that a garden isn't foolproof. I also think the seed I got was old. This year I'm going to go through Gurney's or Harris.

Please let me know if you're going to do a vegetable garden as I'd like to see some pictures and learn about your progress

I always do one, or at least have for the past 20 years (yeah, I was just a tyke when I started). That's common, I hear, to have a good result the first year, get overconfident, and have a poor result the next year due the best nutrients having got sucked out. I always get carried away with the raising of plants from seed in the basement. The only real advantage to this is that you can grow the cool-sounding varieties from the seed catalogs and it's cheaper if you're growing a lot. I grow annual & perennial flowering pants as well as the basic tomato/pepper menu. I need a good source for this next year of abundant rotted manure or compost to spread on very deep. I also found this past season to be really tough due to the succession of days above 90. It was impossible to water often enough.

RepliesTo DW: I read your post and looked all over for the button that says "like" -- oops wrong website! That would be Facebook. Once oriented to where on the web I was I though to click the thank buttom, but not really quite right. So let me say, "I like, I like."

To PC: Yes, I do a garden of one sort or another every year. Mine have lots of flowers (annual and perenial), herbs, and a few veggies (chard! beets! horray, this makes me happy just to think about). My gardens have been small. Last year I put in 3 raised beds -- I've always wanted raised beds. It was more challenging than I expected, consiquently my garden was extra small last year -- but I had a bumper crop of tomatoes, despite the many days over 90 in Northern VA. Replies To DW: I read your post and looked all over for the button that says "like" -- oops wrong website! That would be Facebook. Once oriented to where on the web I was I though to click the thank button, but not really quite right. So let me say, "I like, I like."

To PC: Yes, I do a garden of one sort or another every year. Mine have lots of flowers (annual and perennial), herbs, and a few veggies (chard! beets! hurray, this makes me happy just to think about). My gardens have been small. Last year I put in 3 raised beds -- I've always wanted raised beds. It was more challenging than I expected, consequently my garden was extra small last year -- but I had a bumper crop of tomatoes, despite the many days over 90 in Northern VA.

_________________In love we are made visibleAs in a magic bathare unpeeledto the sharp pitso long concealed --May Swenson

Not thinking of gardening here yet though my seed catalog came this week! Locally, the folks do what's called a 'Seedy Saturday' where everyone brings saved seeds and swaps seeds. It's gotten to be a really well-organized event. So I've got all sorts of seeds hanging out waiting to be swapped. Have you ever let swiss chard, for example, go to seed? It's a prolific seed producer. The only beets, however, that go to seed are the variety I don't want (because they go to seed at the least hint of warm weather)... so I buy these. Tomatoes have worked well saving seed from year to year, as have beans and peas. The squash family get all mixed up and I grow a mystery variety every year--crosses between squash, gourds, pumpkins... Makes for fun harvesting (for decoration) come October ( :I envy your hot summer weather DWill. In the rainy NW watermelon is pretty much out, even if you start it indoors, as are other melons usually. I love pole beans though. And the greenhouse made prolific peppers this last summer, all from saved seed...

_________________"And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."--Jesus"For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world--to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice."--Jesus

I'd like to plant some strawberries but my mom is in charge of the garden... I do think we should plant different stuff this year, because I thought planting the same things every year wasn't good for the soil. Not sure though. xP

I've tried starting my seeds indoors but most all of my plants when about over an inch high will develop a brown spot on the stem and then fall and die. I guess this is because I tend to over water and don't provide enough ventilation.

I've already ordered some seed from an Asian seed place I found online. They're a little pricey but they have some weird stuff. http://www.evergreenseeds.com/

Camacho, do you start with sterilized soil? They say that's important for starting seeds indoors... and I found I had to add artificial light, just not enough of the real thing here in the spring. Maybe not a problem there. And yeah, probably watch the watering... I tried just watering from the bottom and had good success. Those little seedlings are hardier than they appear!Looks like you've been having fun in the seed catalogs. Have you ever wondered who comes up with all those fancy sounding names? and whether they influence which ones you choose? How are soybeans a friend to Beer? My grandparents farmed soybeans so it's not something I ever considered doing on a small scale...but why not?! Good luck!

_________________"And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."--Jesus"For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world--to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice."--Jesus

Camacho, do you start with sterilized soil? They say that's important for starting seeds indoors... and I found I had to add artificial light, just not enough of the real thing here in the spring. Maybe not a problem there. And yeah, probably watch the watering... I tried just watering from the bottom and had good success. Those little seedlings are hardier than they appear!Looks like you've been having fun in the seed catalogs. Have you ever wondered who comes up with all those fancy sounding names? and whether they influence which ones you choose? How are soybeans a friend to Beer? My grandparents farmed soybeans so it's not something I ever considered doing on a small scale...but why not?! Good luck!

For starting plants, all you need is a bank of fluorescent shoplights to position just a few inches above the plants. Regular old 48" bulbs work fine, though they say the "warm white" more expensive kind are better. Grow light bulbs are way too expensive. Use a sterile seed-starting mix. Good for you for saving seeds; I've done only a little of that. The seed catalogues are the devil's work.

_________________"And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."--Jesus"For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world--to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice."--Jesus

Yeah, I think I'm going to go ahead and see about starting an indoor setup and see how that goes and then maybe see if I can do like a hydroponics type thing. I've seen some plans on the internet and it looks pretty easy. That seems like a fun project.

I always use miracle grow potting soil for starting seeds inside.

I'm getting some weird varieties this year and I'm pretty excited about it.

_________________"And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."--Jesus"For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world--to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice."--Jesus

I've purchased a heating mat, shelving unit, two t8 light fixtures, a temperature controller, and a timer.... I am just about ready for indoor seed starting!!!

Wow. You've gone all out and should have great results. I always used to start too early, and then the danger would be the plants lose their nice stockiness and get leggy. I wait until almost March now. But you can put your plants out a few weeks earlier than I can, I'd guess.

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